MSM Performing Arts BTEC
Mouth Piece
The major difference between brass and woodwind instruments is the mouthpiece.
Brass instruments have a metal mouthpiece that you blow air through.
The majority Woodwind instruments make a sound by air vibrating a piece of wood (reed)
There are two types of reed instrument.
Single reed - Clarinet and Saxophone
Double Reed - Oboe and Basson
Single Reed Double Reed
The clarinet is a woodwind instruments. It has a single-reed mouthpiece, a straight, cylindrical tube with an almost cylindrical bore, and a flared bell. A person who plays a clarinet is called a clarinetist.
Clarinet Mouthpiece
There are also smaller and larger versions of the clarinet. See video to the left and image below
The saxophone is part of the woodwind instruments usually made out of brass it is played with a single-reed mouthpiece, much like the clarinet.
The instrument is a modern invention and will only be found in some modern orchestral performances. The instruments are found more frequently in Jazz and Pop music.
There are a range of different sized saxophones, the most common is the Alto Saxophone.
The oboe is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, it used to play lower parts of a piece. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band, and chamber music literature
The flute is a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening.
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The modern piccolo has most of the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written.